Cleveland's gift to the world, the Cleveland Orchestra, makes older members of our staff jealous of the younger ones. That's how good a job the orchestra is doing at connecting with the under-40 crowd as it tries to secure its future by attracting a new generation of music lovers.

The latest example of the orchestra's youth-oriented initiatives is “The Circle,” a new group aimed at young professionals. According to the orchestra, The Circle looks to “increase engagement opportunities for young people ages 21-40 and to help develop future volunteer community leaders.”

The orchestra recognizes that many young adults aren't content simply with doing their day jobs. They want to become involved in the community, but often don't know where to go to do so.

The Circle provides them with an inexpensive avenue for involvement that comes with perks.

The cost of joining The Circle is $15 a month for one membership and $20 a month for two. For that price of admission, Circle members will have the chance to meet with musicians and socialize at Severance Hall and Blossom Music Center, which is the orchestra's summer home. Membership also includes bi-monthly concert tickets “along with opportunities to attend social gatherings to network with friends and cultural business leaders of Northeast Ohio,” the orchestra said.

The Circle is in keeping with the orchestra's push over the last few years to engage and build a younger audience. And the effort has not gone unnoticed, even by national media.

The Wall Street Journal last month ran a story on how orchestras nationwide are stabilizing their bottom lines by dropping their stuffy images as they target “nontraditional concertgoers.” The story quotes Jesse Rosen, president of the League of American Orchestras, in citing Cleveland as among the “bright spots” in this youth movement. The Journal notes that the orchestra has scored a big success with its evening “Fridays at 7” program, which starts early and features unique guest artists such as banjoist Béla Fleck.

More than most arts organizations, the Cleveland Orchestra has become extremely purposeful in reaching beyond its walls and tearing down the barriers that exist between Joe and Jane Public and most bastions of culture. Last October, for example, the orchestra announced it would be doing a week-long residency in Lakewood in May, featuring solo and chamber performances in unique locations, educational programs at local schools and artistic collaborations with neighborhood arts and cultural organizations.

It is no accident that the orchestra chose Lakewood. Both the inner-ring suburb and Cleveland's Gordon Square neighborhood, where the orchestra introduced neighborhood residences last May, are popular enclaves with young career people in their 20s.

As any fisherman worth his bait knows, if you want to catch fish, you go to where the fish are. The Cleveland Orchestra is doing a great job of trolling for young people in the waters they inhabit. Others could learn from its example.

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